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Norfolk birding (8 Viewers)

Titchwell November 8th

Today's highlights

Great Northern diver - 1 offshore
Slavionian grebe - 2 offshore
Spotted redshank - 4 on brackish marsh, 11 on tidal pool
Water pipit - 1 on fresh marsh
Golden plover - 2300 on fresh marsh
Avocet - 2 on fresh marsh
Lapwing - 440 on fresh marsh
House martin - 2 late birds west over the reserve

Please note - Island Hide will be closed on Monday November 9th and Tuesday November 10th

Paul
 
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success at last with American Golden Plover with the Plover flock in Blakeney Harbour. Surprised that some of the features field guides talk about were only apparent with close scrutiny. Picked up on the left hand edge of the flock, first thing noticed was that bird was tiny, probably smaller than a Dotterel, also long legged and quite long billed. Soon took to the air and dusky underwing noted, Interesting that the controversy around the adult at Cley in the summer was that feet extended past tail, when this bird flew feet did look like they went past the tail, but as with Cley bird believe this is because the bird was dropping down to land so feet slightly hanging down.
Picked up later on the right hand edge, greyer more uniform upperwing and dusky underparts with no demarcation between chest and belly as on some Goldies. Face pattern interesting - dark around eye creating a small mask and less prominent ear covert mark, supercilium not particularly noticeable but white around bill, under chin and supercilium created a continuous white area. Again attenuated rear end only noticeable with scrutiny and with comparison with surrounding Goldies. Bird constantly aggressive towards Goldies with short head long charges creating hunched rather than rounded impression. Because of slim body shape but esp long bill and legs jizz was more reminescent of Sandplover than Goldie. - all in all very satisfying patch bird and very educational.

An added bonus was a close ringtail Hen Harrier that careered through putting everything up.

couple of photos here
http://www.cleybirds.com/Cley 2009.1.htm
 
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Hockwold Washes

Standing at the viewing area looking over Hockwold Washes, the thoughts entered my mind of 'here we go again' - no Great White Egret in sight anywhere:-C. BUT at 11am a yellow bill appeared out of the reedmace:t:;) and a very long white neck!!!! Took lots of record shots of the Great White Egret. At last! having seen two GWE at Pymoor much earlier in the year either side of a bridge it has been very frustrating not to have one on my Norfolk year list until now!!! A couple of stonechats sat about in hawthorn bushes close by.

Wormegay

Flying along the road I noticed two large birds sitting in a ploughed field on my left just before the Wormegay sign. Found a suitable turning and went back up the road to view 2 Common Buzzards just sitting in the field! Got a few flight shots and then carried on to: Cley NWT Visitor Centre for coffee cake:eat:.

Walsey Hills NOA

Not alot in here apart from blackbirds and robins and a few reed buntings.

North Forlan Wood

The sycamore on the corner was very busy! at least 5 Chiffchaffs were flitting about feeding in the tops of the sycamore tree along with 2 goldcrests, a blue tit, great tit, coal tit and a couple of chaffinches. I couldn't turn any into Pallas's though;) A stray, yapping out of control dog came charging across the field and the action in the sycamore tree ceased! The sycamore tree in the opposite corner (road side) also had great tit, blue tit and chaffinches in.

Cley Coastguards

1 Guillemot on the sea, 2 wigeon, poss. Harbour Porpoise (just saw fin briefly). Brents on Eye Field. Hundreds of Golden Plover in several flocks going east.

Best Wishes Penny:girl:
 
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West Runton patcher

Many thanks to the chap that patch watches West Runton & showed me m8 & me the Lapland Bunting this morning. True gent:t:

Also had Purp Sand, Med Gull, Guillemot & single Swallow (my latest ever)!

Cheers.
 
Hi everyone

My partner and I went to Titchwell today. We where lucky to see a Water Rail from the windows in Fen Hide later in the afternoon.

Last Sunday 1st November we sighted 2 Bearded Tits in the area of Reeds close to the beach pathway. Great to see.

We had our scope with us and we clocked a small fluffy chick amongst the Lapwings - A chick at this time of year from the Island Hide - what!!

Lots of Turnstones where seen at Hunstanton beach in the morning.

Regards
Kathy
x
 
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No sign of the Purple Sand at West Runton today (no doubt its lurking somewhere on the rock piles along Sheringham seafront) but seawatching off there produced a few good birds with a Little Auk west at 1250, a Great Northern Diver and Shag on the sea and a Pale-bellied Brent past amongst the steady stream of Brents that were moving west. A few assorted Ducks also past with the most notable being good numbers of Eider again all moving west.

Simon
 
a day at Titchwell today, didn't write in the log as had to leg it for the bus -

1-2 Slavs
1 Long-tailed Duck
2 Bonxies
220 Eider West
c6 Goldeneye
c6 Mergs
25 Kittiwakes
100+ Common Scoter
2 Mallard
 
wind turbines in Norfolk

With the very strong possibility of hundreds of windturbines just off our coastline in the not too distant future I wonder if they'll be close enough for us to witness this sort of awful sight and with what frequency? Warning, this may upset some viewers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9srPoOU6_Z4

... and other wind farms are proposed at inland sites in Norfolk where pink feet and wintering bewick and whooper swans may be seen. Near to North Creake and in Marshland in the west of the county.
 
With the very strong possibility of hundreds of windturbines just off our coastline in the not too distant future I wonder if they'll be close enough for us to witness this sort of awful sight and with what frequency? Warning, this may upset some viewers!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9srPoOU6_Z4

Hi reveller
Is there any chance of putting this on the main forum listing to attract more views - to let more people know whats going on with wind turbines and the effects on raptors.
cheers
 
Good god and there was me going to talk about tedious things such as records of Blue winged teal and little shearwater in norfolk this year (seen in the BBRC wip file)

That video is disturbing, does the turbine create some kind of thermal effect that attracted the vulture ? I assume these wind farms only get the go ahead after serious bird survey work is done ?
 
We already have wind turbines on our coast at Yarmouth. Never seen anything circling them in that fashion though. You'll note the vulture went round it several times before getting too close, so I don't think you can extrapolate it to be a danger to swans or geese - which would just fly through, rather than going round and round.

Overhead power cables are a much larger danger as there are more of them and they're harder to see.
 
The Great Northern Diver was still off West Runton beach car park this afternoon, plus a couple of Med Gulls (1st winter & an adult) in the pre roost gathering on the sea.

Couple of highlights from the weekend were a Peregrine over Overstrand seafront on Saturday which eventually circled high up into the clouds out to sea and headed off north, and on Sunday a Little Owl by East Runton common which is the first one I've come across on the patch away from Felbrigg Park.

Simon
 
wind turbines

Cant do the link, but if you go onto the "birds & birding" forum where Andy has just posted his turbine thread & look for the Nov 2nd Griffon Vulture post theres some enlightening stuff on there. Harrased Dad, how do you think night migrants will fare going through a line of turbines in darkness & poor weather conditions. Check out the prop tip speeds given in the aforementioned post.
 
Titchwell November 11th

Today's highlights

Merlin - female hunting over saltmarsh
Wheatear - 1 on beach
Water pipit - 2 reported on fresh marsh

Paul
 
Main concern with pink-feet is that they're often flying around at dusk when visibility isn't great. The risk of collision must therefore be much greater.

Rob

Cant do the link, but if you go onto the "birds & birding" forum where Andy has just posted his turbine thread & look for the Nov 2nd Griffon Vulture post theres some enlightening stuff on there. Harrased Dad, how do you think night migrants will fare going through a line of turbines in darkness & poor weather conditions. Check out the prop tip speeds given in the aforementioned post.
 

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